Woman who’s suing Sheriff Will Lewis drops one part of complaint, defends rest of lawsuit

Woman who’s suing Sheriff Will Lewis drops one part of complaint, defends rest of lawsuit

Savannah Nabors responds to County’s request that lawsuit be dismissed

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Updated: 3:47 PM EST Nov 14, 2017

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WEBVTT AND LOCAL AT THE LAW-ENFORCEMENTCENTER WITH THE VERY LATEST.TIM: MICHAEL AND NIGEL, THIS ISTHE FIRST TIME WE'VE HEARD FROMSHERIFF WILL LEWIS SINCE THELAWSUIT BY SAVANNAH NABORS WASFILED.AND THE SHERIFF WASTED NO TIMETODAY REFUTING THE ALLEGATIONS.AT A NEWS CONFERENCE WHEREREPORTERS WEREN'T ALLOWED TO ASKQUESTIONS, GREENVILLE COUNTYSHERIFF WILL LEWIS SHOT DOWNCLAIMS BY HIS ACCUSER, SAVANAHNEIGHBORS.>> THE ALLEGATIONS OF RAPE ANDSTALKING, HARASSMENT, THAT'SCOMPLETELY 100% FALSE.TIM: LEWIS DID ADMIT TO HAVINGWHAT HE CALLS A CONSENSUALENCOUNTER WITH NABORS, AND ASKEDFOR FORGIVENESS FROM WIFE,HIS CHILDREN, AND THE CITIZENSOF GREENVILLE COUNTY WHO ELECTEDHIM.>> THE ENCOUNTER THAT I HAD WASTREMENDOUSLY AND DEEPLYREGRETTABLE, ONE THAT IS A MORALFAILURE, AND THAT'S ONE THAT IHAVE TO TAKE UP WITH MY FAMILY.TIM: LEWIS ALSO ASKED FORFORGIVENESS FROM DEPUTIES, WHOHE SAYS HAVE TO DEAL WITH THECONSEQUENCES OF HIS ACTIONS.THEY'RE HAVING TO PUT UP WITHTHE GARBAGE THAT GOES ON EVERYSINGLE DAY OUT HERE AND THIS ONTOP OF IT DOESN'T HELP.TIM: BUT LEWIS SAID HE IS NOTGOING ANYWHERE, THAT HE'LLCONTINUE TO PERFORM HIS DUTIESAS HE WAS ELECTED TO DO.>> I'M GOING TO PRESS ON AND I'MI AM.TIM: THE SHERIFF VOWED TOPROTECT THE SAFETY OF GREENVILLECOUNTY CITIZENS, ASKING FORTHEIR CONTINUED PRAYERS.LATE TODAY, NABORS' ATTORNEYTOLD ME THEY STAND BEHIND THEIRCOMPLAINT.I SPOKE TO THE COUNCIL CHAIRMAN,WHO SAYS COUNCIL IS CONCERNED

Woman who’s suing Sheriff Will Lewis drops one part of complaint, defends rest of lawsuit

Savannah Nabors responds to County’s request that lawsuit be dismissed

A woman who has filed a lawsuit against the Greenville County sheriff alleging "systemic sexual victimization" has responded to the county's attorney motion to dismiss the lawsuit.

The attorney for Greenville County Sheriff Will Lewis, and others named in the lawsuit including Greenville County, filed a motion Nov. 3 to dismiss the lawsuit, according to federal records. A motion to dismiss a lawsuit is a legal document that asks the court to throw out a case.

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Lewis was accused of sexual misconduct with Savannah Nabors, who was formerly Lewis' assistant and employed by the Sheriff's Office.

Nabors' response, filed Tuesday, says that Lewis and the County filed the motion to dismiss arguing that Nabors had not sufficiently stated her claim, while they, at the same time, argued that Nabors "stated too much of a claim."

Her response defends her right to recover wages under the South Carolina Payment of Wages Act. The sheriff's motion to dismiss the lawsuit cited Nabors claim violated the act.

Nabors' lawsuit claims she was fired in retaliation for "her failure to agree to participate in an unwelcome affair using taxpayer dollars," and says that the suit is needed because there is no other remedy for the treatment she claims to have suffered.

The response claims that Lewis' news conference on Oct. 19 and County attorney Lance Sheek's news conference Oct. 24 were "replete with inaccuracies, and included information that was potentially wildly prejudicial." Her response blames the two news conferences for the increase in media attention and the calls from public officials for Lewis' resignation.

Nabors' response to the motion to dismiss claimed that the sheriff and County "cry prejudice due to media attention to their motion to strike, when they convened two extrajudicial press conferences that have generated the majority of the media attention and public outrage."

The response says, "The majority of the sheriff's complaints in the defendant's motion to strike were caused by the sheriff's own actions in disgracefully having sex with his subordinate without her consent. The plaintiff merely stood up to her assailant and filed a detailed complaint outlining true facts about what the sheriff did, in anticipation of the defendant's motion to dismiss. The fact that the sheriff's conduct was salacious and scandalous does not render the complaint defective."

The one concession that Nabors' response makes is that her Fourth Amendment claim should be dismissed.

The response says, "The plaintiff asserted that a Fourth Amendment claim based on the theory that the drugging of her prior to the sexual assault was a 'seizure' under the Fourth Amendment. However, after careful consideration of the cases cited by the defendants in their motion, and additional research, the plaintiff conceded that the Fourth Amendment claim should be dismissed without prejudice."

The response also said that the sheriff and County's motion to dismiss is a "time waster."

Nabors' response concluded by saying, "The motion to strike should be denuded because the plaintiff (Nabors) has complied with all applicable rules in pleading her case."

SLED is investigating the allegations against Lewis.

The sheriff has refused to step down, even though several high-profile lawmakers, including the governor, have asked him to do so.